John Oates Child and Youth Studies Group

Supporting developmental

progress in children and

young people with SEND

Early Support

Government mechanism to improve services for disabled children,

young people and their families

‘One of the government’s great success stories in relation to disabled

children’ (Parliamentary Hearings on Services for Disabled Children,

2006)

Offers an approach based on:

Partnership working with families

Integrated service delivery, joint planning and shared decision

making

Key working support for families

It has developed, and will develop further, a range of practical

resources to support all of this.

Early Support principles

Early Support

‘Early Support is highly regarded by parents and professionals alike

and has been proven to make a significant difference to families…but

the approach of clear information and resources with parents holding

the plan for their child’s support is relevant to older children too.” (pg

43, 2.8-2.9)

‘The Department for Education will fund voluntary and community

sector organisations to maintain the existing Early Support resources,

including the training materials, and amend them in partnership with

parents to extend their use to families with school-aged children.’

(Page 43, 2.10)

Support and aspiration: a new approach to special educational needs

and disability (March 2011)

Early Support

‘Parents with disabled children are likely to face higher levels of

stress, and they value the practical and emotional support of a key

worker” (pg 43, 2.11)

“In order to extend the use of key workers for families with disabled

children, we need more people to be trained as key workers from a

wider field of professionals…. The Department for Education will

fund the voluntary and community sector to provide free training

on key working for a range of professionals.” (pp 43-44, 2.12)

Support and aspiration: a new approach to special educational

needs and disability (March 2011)

our brief

• Develop, deliver and sustain Early Support

materials, resources and training and adapt them

for use up the age range

• Develop and deliver key working training

• Ensure multi-agency, strategic engagement of the

whole sector, including parents, children and young

people

• Ensure parents, children and young people and the

professionals who work with them take ownership

of Early Support and key working and are able to

sustain it beyond the funded period.

Early Support consortium

CCN Cymru

Elizabeth Andrews

(former ES Director)

Sue Lewis

Solihull MBC &

Signpost Inclusion London Borough

of Bromley

Wolverhampton City Council

& Royal Wolverhampton

NHS Trust

Complex/multiple needs

Developmental Journal

the Journals

Monitoring protocol for deaf babies and

children

Developmental Journal for babies and

children with Down syndrome

Developmental Journal for babies and

children with visual impairments

Generic Developmental Journal

going forward

Monitoring protocol for deaf babies and children

Developmental Journal for babies and children

with Down syndrome

Developmental Journal for babies and children

with visual impairments

Generic Developmental Journal

Early Years

Developmental

Journal

The Early

Support app .pdf

downloads

Early Years Developmental Journal

Four areas of learning and development:

Personal, social and emotional

Communication

Physical

Thinking

Early Years Developmental Journal

14 steps, each with:

Narrative description of the four areas in

this step

A key indicator for each area

Validated items linked with EYFS

Development Matters, and PCHR

Key indicators

descriptions

items

profile

the Early Support app

the Early Support app

Functions:

• Secure login and data storage

• Build data file for one child or many

• Personalise with photo images

• Structured fields to build plan for

child compatible with EHCP

• Timeline to add events with video,

stills or text

the Early Support app

Functions:

• Access privilege level settings

• Messaging

• Calendar and diary

• Developmental Journal

• Access to LA local offer

• Information resources on conditions,

common issues etc.

• E-document store

the app and keyworking

health visitor

Portage

practitioner

paediatrician

district nurse SLT

educational psychologist

physiotherapist

CHILD/YOUNG PERSON

PARENT

CARER

SENCO

http://www.ncb.org.uk/earlysupport

Early Childhood in Focus

http://tinyurl.com/cjyq5sb